Emergency Dentist — Arlington Heights, IL
Helping Patients Get Out of Pain & Smile More
Dr. Ernest Costello and Dr. Jay DeHart understand the urgency and panic that dental emergencies can cause, which is why our team is here for you 24 hours a day in these situations. Our goal is to relieve your pain and get you back to your daily routine in a comforting dental office atmosphere where you feel well taken care of. If you or a loved one is experiencing a severe dental injury, don’t wait – contact Costello & DeHart Dental Excellence right away to schedule a complimentary appointment for emergency dentistry in Arlington Heights! We also welcome patients from Barrington and Palatine, among other surrounding areas.
Why Choose Costello & DeHart Dental Excellence for Emergency Dental Care?
- Same-Day Emergency Appointments
- Evening & Weekend Availability
- Insurance-Friendly Dental Practice
What to Do in a Dental Emergency
- Call our office. Time is of the essence in any emergency situation! Make sure you contact us right away to get the prompt relief you deserve. Our team will schedule you at your earliest convenience. When you give us a call, an experienced team member will provide first-aid instructions to help you manage your situation in the meantime.
- Have an emergency exam. When you get to our office, we’ll conduct a detailed oral examination to identify the cause of your emergency. Using our findings, we’ll create a custom treatment plan to get your smile back on the right track.
- Get the care you need. During your appointment, we may be able to temporarily address your situation. However, depending on the severity of your case, you might have to return for additional treatment. Some common services we recommend for hurting teeth include fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, gum disease treatment, and extractions.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
If you ever find yourself experiencing a dental emergency in Arlington Heights, you should contact our office right away for assistance. As mentioned earlier, we’ll share tips to help you handle your emergency situation on your own while you wait for your appointment. Below, we’ve included some additional information to hold you over as you make your way to our practice.
Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry
Not every dental emergency is the same, which is why you must come in for an examination to get an idea of how much your treatment will cost. Once we figure out what’s causing your discomfort, we’ll explain the pricing information to ensure you know exactly what to expect. At Costello & DeHart Dental Excellence, we want to make the cost of emergency dentistry in Arlington Heights as accessible as possible so don’t hesitate to ask for our help navigating the financial aspect of your treatment.
Every Dental Emergency is Different
Believe it or not, visiting your emergency dentist in Arlington Heights is relatively inexpensive. During your appointment, we’ll evaluate the extent of the damage to determine which treatment method will get your smile back to normal. Since every case is unique, we’ll create a personalized approach to restore your oral health. It’s impossible to provide an accurate cost estimate until you can see us. But don’t worry – we’ll thoroughly discuss your options and the estimated price to ensure you know exactly what to expect.
Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money
Some dental emergencies are unavoidable and usually happen because of unchecked infection or damage. To keep your smile in tip-top shape, you should practice good oral hygiene and visit your dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning. Maintaining a healthy smile will help you save thousands of dollars on emergency care. By catching these oral health problems before they worsen, you can easily avoid more extensive and costly treatments down the line.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Most dental insurance plans offer some form of coverage for dental emergency situations. Usually, this includes at least one necessary exam per year. Common services associated with hurting teeth (i.e., dental crowns and root canal therapy) are typically eligible for about 50-80% of coverage.
Of course, every policy is unique, which is why you’ll want to verify the details of your coverage with your provider before moving forward with any services. If you need help with this process, our team is more than happy to assist you! We’ll help you navigate your benefits and make the most of them.
Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable
Don’t have dental insurance? No problem! You don’t have to worry about paying for your treatments out-of-pocket. At Costello & DeHart Dental Excellence, we have an in-house dental program that can make your care more affordable. For a low fee, you can get the preventive dental care you need to maintain a healthy smile. With our help, you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank!
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
Although our Arlington Heights dental team is always here for you – whether you need a routine checkup or you’re struggling with a serious dental injury – our hope is that you’ll never experience the latter. After all, knocked-out, cracked, and otherwise damaged teeth can result in a lot of stress and pain! Fortunately, there are some simple precautions patients of all ages can take to keep their smiles safer over time. Read on to learn a few.
Visit Your Dentist Twice a Year
Remember, keeping your teeth healthy throughout the years requires a solid oral hygiene regimen at home and routine visits to our office for a checkup and cleaning. These periodic appointments allow our Arlington Heights dentist to catch and treat dental problems before they ever get the chance to develop into emergencies. So, if you’re overdue for your six-month visit, make sure to get in touch with our staff today!
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home
As we mentioned above, it’s imperative that you commit to a solid oral hygiene routine at home to prevent your teeth from becoming decayed and your gums from becoming infected. The first step we recommend is using a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste with fluoride to brush your teeth each morning and evening (make sure to do so for a full two minutes each time). Additionally, floss and rinse with mouthwash twice a day.
Stick to a Nutritious Diet
While you don’t need to completely eliminate added sugar from your diet, it is important to keep your consumption of sugary foods and drinks to a minimum. Otherwise, you’ll be significantly more likely to develop a mouthful of cavities. On a similar note, avoid chewing on hard candy, popcorn kernels, and ice when necessary to protect your teeth from damage. The best thing to do is focus on adding vitamin-rich, nutrient-dense foods to your plate whenever you can.
Wear a Mouthguard
If you play a contact sport, like wrestling, all it takes is one elbow to your jaw to knock out a tooth. If you play a non-contact sport, like skateboarding, all it takes is one bad fall to crack a tooth or sustain a soft tissue injury. That’s why it’s so important that you wear a mouthguard when playing your favorite sport! It can also be helpful to wear one if you chronically grind or clench your teeth, which is a habit that can result in numerous problems, including premature wear to your teeth.
Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth
Simply put, always rely on scissors and not your teeth to open tricky packaging. Similarly, don’t use your teeth to trim your nails, hold your keys, or open a bottle cap. These can also result in a serious dental injury that requires same-day treatment.
Dental Emergency FAQs
The team at Costello & DeHart Dental Excellence understands that accidents happen, and when they do, you need to be prepared. While panicking might be the first thought, it’s best if you first try to stay calm and call our dental office to alert us to the situation and schedule an appointment. Until we are able to see you, we want you to feel confident in being able to handle the situation at home, so you can expect us to walk you through the steps of what you should do. But to shed a bit more light on how to best be prepared, our emergency dentist in Arlington Heights has compiled a list of frequently asked questions for you to review.
Why is it better to see an emergency dentist?
Some people assume that if it’s an emergency, the best place to seek help is the local emergency room. While in certain situations like continued bleeding or a fractured, dislocated jaw the ER is the best place to go, an emergency dentist can swiftly address almost all types of dental injuries. Not only will your dentist in Arlington Heights have the tools and equipment to effectively treat your problem, but they will also be able to recommend solutions to fix the problem. There’s no lag time in learning what is next in restoring your oral health by seeing an emergency dentist.
What if a dental emergency happens while I’m traveling?
Although you might be tempted to hold off until you return home to seek treatment, this can be harmful to your oral health. Not to mention the discomfort you’ll be in throughout your trip. If an accident happens while you are away from home, find a local dentist who can help. Once the problem is taken care of, you’ll need to let our dental office know of the situation once you return home. This will help us to determine if you should come in for an examination or additional treatment, and it will help us to keep your records updated.
What does throbbing tooth pain mean?
If you’re experiencing a sharp or throbbing pain stemming from one or more of your teeth, then it’s very likely that an infection has developed. It’s also possible that there is a crack that’s allowing air and bacteria to reach the inner, sensitive area of the pulp. In both cases, the best thing to do is schedule an appointment with our Arlington Heights emergency dentist. Then, they can conduct an exam, pinpoint what’s causing your discomfort, and put a plan in place to fix it.
Will my toothache go away on its own?
No, decay, cracks, and other causes of toothaches cannot heal on their own. In fact, if a tooth that once hurt now feels completely fine, it’s likely that the infection or decay has “killed” the nerve of your tooth, which is extremely concerning. We always recommend scheduling an appointment with us when you first notice the discomfort. That way, we can intervene with the necessary restorative treatment as soon as possible.
Should I visit the emergency room first for dental emergencies?
Unless you are experiencing a potentially life-threatening symptom (i.e., difficulty swallowing, trouble breathing, uncontrollable bleeding), you should not go to the ER for treatment for a dental injury.
My chipped tooth doesn’t hurt. Do I still need to visit?
Yes! Although chipped teeth sometimes are so minor that they don’t result in any discomfort, they can still develop an infection or split further. For those reasons, we recommend scheduling an appointment with us for an exam. In addition to making sure your tooth still functions optimally, we can replace the missing structure to ensure it looks beautiful as well.
What is causing my jaw pain?
It’s hard to know without an exam! However, jaw pain is most commonly the result of impacted wisdom teeth, constant teeth grinding, or TMJ dysfunction.
What should I keep in my emergency dentistry kit?
Since first aid kits don’t typically have dental emergency-specific items, we recommend adding the below:
- A small, clean container that can hold a tooth or restoration
- Dental cement
- Orajel (or another topical anesthetic)
- Floss
- The contact information for our dental office
What does chronic bad breath mean?
If you eat an onion, garlic, a pickle, or something else more pungent, then it’s completely normal to have a lingering odor on your breath. If the unpleasant smell is consistent, however, then there may be some cause for concern. In that case, we recommend coming in for an exam so we can determine if an untreated oral health issue is to blame.
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